Incursion bids by China's PLA down by over 15%

Incursion bids by Chinese People’s Liberation Army reduced more than 15 per cent since 2014.
In pic: A Chinese soldier shares light moment with an Indian officer at Nathu La on the India-China border.

SRINAGAR: Chinese army made around 360 incursion attempts in Ladakh this calendar and there have been about 150 faceoffs between Indian and Chinese troops along the Line of Actual Control, according to latest available data.

Incursion bids by Chinese People’s Liberation Army reduced more than 15 per cent since 2014 when Indo Tibetan Border Police and Army officials reported around 460 incursions, while the number of face-offs remained almost same in 2014 and 2015.

In last three years Chinese army has made more than 1,100 incursions along LAC and the two armies had nearly 380 face-offs, according to monthly and annual situation dossiers sent by ITBP, Indian Army and other concerned agencies to the defence ministry and army headquarters.

The most recent face-off was at Doulat Beg Oldi where Chinese had constructed an 8-sq ft brick room, allegedly in Indian territory, which was later demolished. According to the sources, ITBP had sent more than 100 troopers to the spot to handle the situation.

"We have been asked to remain tight-lipped on the number of incursions and face-offs. It creates unnecessary panic. The area is peaceful," a senior ITBP official told ET. "There is nothing problematic in face-offs. Both sides show banners to each other and go away," he said.

Zero incursions after October this year

A senior ITBP official said incursions and face-offs nearly come down to zero after October, due to the bad weather and heavy snowfall along the LAC. The face-offs between Indian and Chinese armies have increased since 2010 when there were just 10 such incidents.